Fuel dispensing nozzles, such as those used for dispensing gasoline into a fuel tank of a vehicle, include an operating lever, also known as a trigger lever, that is actuated by an operator to dispense fuel from the nozzle into the fuel tank of the vehicle. One such nozzle is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0215237, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The fuel dispensing nozzle disclosed by the '237 application includes a locking device that releasably retains the operating lever in an “on” or “hold open” position, such that the operator is not required to manually hold the operating lever in the hold open position during fill up. Such locking devices, also known as lock levers, are well known and are provided in many different configurations for maintaining the operating lever in the hold open position.